The St Andrew's Centre
The Vision
There was once a time when a church was the centre of daily life; a place of gathering and commerce; of learning and sanctuary. It was in many ways the soul of a community.
Times have changed, however, and for most the church is now little more than a museum attraction or the venue for a Sunday-only leisure pursuit. In relegating the church to its margins many would say that society has lost something of the glue that holds it together, perhaps even its ‘soul’.
The vision for the St Andrew’s Centre is simple; to provide more and better space for the church’s growing activities (particularly with children and young people), and to re-establish that connection with the wider community. Our current hall is coming to the end of its shelf-life, and as a congregation we are outgrowing it. For over ten years, plans have existed to rebuild the hall and we have spent the last three asking God for his vision for this project.
We have come to believe that God is calling us to create a safe space devoted to well-being, wholeness and reconciliation. We aim to do this through prayer for healing of mind, body and spirit, through the teaching of meditation to find stillness and peace, through the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and work/life balance, and through working with other agencies devoted to the well-being of individuals, communities and the planet.
It’s an enormous act of faith involving enormous amounts of money, but underpinning it is the sincere belief that, as William Temple once said; ‘the Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members’. In other words, the Church is not a ghetto but an agent both of good news and good actions. Please pray for us. If you would like more information or would like to support this vision, please contact us:
The Parish Office: 01992 504373 standrew.hertford@btinternet.com
Vivienne Thornton, Operations & Development Manager for the St Andrew's Centre: 01992 584004
 
The existing church hall The St Andrew's Centre
The Project
The St Andrew's Centre will be created by extending, altering and refurbishing the current Parish Hall. The Centre will consist of a range of meeting rooms, including a one-to-one counselling room, rooms for larger groups and a multi-purpose hall with kitchen facilities, an art/utility room and disabled toilet.
There will be three discreet entrances, two accessed through the churchyard and one through a new link from the church itself so that each user group can be assured of a degree of security and confidentiality.
The Centre has also been designed for easy access for all, and with as low a carbon footprint as possible. It is tucked away behind the Church on St Andrew's Street; this we believe allows for a degree of privacy.
St Andrew’s Community Trust
Hertford St Andrew wants to improve the well-being of people around it by adding to the range of activities that it does, by doing them in a more structured way in partnership with voluntary and co mmunity organisations, and by publicising them more effectively.
The Church already has a growing and talented core of young families and older people, young professionals and people involved in the workplace and voluntary and community organisations. The Church’s buildings are strategically placed close to Hertford town centre.
The extended, altered and refurbished Parish Hall and Vestries will be known as the St Andrew’s Centre and the Hertford St Andrew Parochial Church Council (PCC) has established a charitable organisation as the focus for the operations of the St Andrew’s Centre. The Hertford St Andrew Community Trust (HStACT) will be responsible for the ongoing running and maintenance of the project after it is completed.
We have had many informative discussions with local community groups and charities that work in the fields of mental health, support for carers, day-care for the elderly, bereavement support and counselling. We hope that, in the future, we will be able to accommodate many of these groups alongside some of the activities that we are already involved in.
You can contact the Chair of HStACT, Mark Overton, by emailing: enquiries@hstact.co.uk
|
